1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a terminal fitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,636 discloses a female terminal fitting including a rectangular tubular terminal connecting portion 100 with an open front end to receive a tab 111 of a mating terminal. A resilient contact piece 105 is disposed in the terminal connecting portion 100 for resiliently holding the tab 111 between an inner surface of the terminal connecting portion 100 and the resilient contact piece 105, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The terminal connecting portion 100 includes a base plate 101 and two side plates 103 stand up substantially at right angles from the opposite lateral sides of the base plate 101 via quarter-circular curved portions 102. An upper plate 104 extends from the upper edges of the side plates 103 and is parallel to the base plate 101. The resilient contact piece 105 includes a substantially arcuate turned portion 106 extending forward from a front end 101F of the base plate 101 and a main portion 107 extending back from the extending end of the turned portion 106 and includes a contact portion 108 for contact with the tab 111.
The turned portion 106 of the resilient contact piece 105 projects forward (right in FIG. 9) from the front end 101F of the base plate 101 in the above-described terminal fitting. Front ends 103F of the side plates 103 project forward from the front end 101F of the base plate 101 to protect the turned portion 106. However, parts of the side plates 103 near the base plate 101 are cut out. Thus, the turned portion 106 is exposed in the cutouts 109 when viewed sideways, and it is difficult to protect the turned portion 106 reliably.
The parts of the side plates 103 corresponding to the turned portion 106 are cut out to partially expose the turned portion 106 because, in a developed state of the above terminal fitting, the cutouts 109 are formed between the turned portion 106 and the front ends 103F of the side plates 103, as shown in FIG. 11. To protect the turned portion 106, it is thought to change this developed shape and provide protecting plates 110 extending from the front ends 103F of the side plates 103 and front ends 102F of the curved portions 102 in the cutouts 109, as shown in FIG. 12.
The above-described change of shape causes lateral edges 110S of the protecting plates 110 extending along lateral edges 106S of the turned portion 106 to become free ends. Thus, the protecting plates 110 are deformed with strain when the curved portions 102 are formed to cause the side plates 103 to stand up from the base plate 101. That is, rear parts of the protecting plates 110 connected to the curved portions 102 are curved to have a shape close to the shape of the curved portions 102, whereas front parts thereof distant from the curved portions 102 are curved to a small degree. If the protecting plates 110 are deformed with strain in this way, front end portions of the protecting plates 110 may project out from the outer surface of the base plate 101. Therefore, conventionally, the protecting plates 110 have not been provided and the turned portion 106 has been left partially exposed through the cutouts 109.
The present invention was developed in view of the above situation and an object thereof is to reliably protect a turned portion of a resilient contact piece.